Notes towards an art project

Medusa mask drawn on a mirror in lipstick (installation)

Photos of apotropaic medusa masks drawn in lipstick on bathroom mirrors

The gorgon heads that form the bases of the columns in the Basilica Cistern

 

Bathrooms as locus of clean vs. dirty

 

Cloaca
 

That should be Cloacina (goddess of the main sewer in Rome, and originally Etruscan)

The current gender/bathroom debate largely ignores the existence of trans men – this is a fight over who counts as women, using women’s “safety” as the excuse.

ETA --

Monstrous femininity, glamour, purity taboos and magical protection

Also selfies/masks, if photographed (human face hidden behind camera)

If drawn on a public washroom mirror, must clean off after photograph so as not to add to the burden of the janitorial staff

Apotropaic 0

(no subject)

 I can't recall who was talking here recently about a production of Euripides' The Trojan Women in which Cassandra wore a "chic, though torn*" Comme Des Garçons garment, but as a result I ended up stumbling across this essay on the 1997 Spring/Summer collection, "Body Meets Dress Dress Meets Body," AKA the "Lumps and Bumps" collection.

The essay, which deals with the collection, ableism, butoh dance, orientalism, and at least two horror movies, also mentions Arabelle Sicardi, who I began following on Tumblr a while back and quite admire. Curious as to whether one could also relate this to the hospitalglam tumblr – where the chronically ill reappropriate fashion imagery as morale boost/satire/protest.

At least some of my interest in the body acceptance movement comes from the other side of the coin – I’m (so far) in pretty good health and with a socially-acceptable appearance, and I *know* how little effort I put into this.** It stands to reason that people with the opposite experience deserve equal respect (or more).

* A CDG dress would likely be torn by design anyway
**My attitude towards my body can pretty much be summed up as a truce whose terms are “don’t bother me, and I won’t starve you or make you run for no good reason.”